Indonesian worker punches Komodo dragon to free his hand from bite

JAKARTA, Indonesia — An Indonesian worker freed himself from an attacking Komodo dragon by punching the reptile’s snout until it released him and ran away, a national park official said Monday.

Agustinus Jenaru, 20, was working inside an unfinished wooden bungalow on Rinca island when the 6.5-foot (two meter) lizard entered and bit onto his left hand on Saturday, said Komodo National Park official Daniel Bolu Ngongo.

Jenaru hit the jaws of the giant lizard for several seconds until it freed him. Jenaru was taken to a clinic for treatment of lacerations and a puncture wound.

Komodo dragons can be found in the wild only on the eastern Indonesian islands of Komodo, Padar and Rinca. The lizards — thought to number fewer than 4,000 — can grow longer than 10 feet (3 meters) and weigh 150 pounds (70 kilograms).

Jenaru was the second victim bit by a giant lizard this year.

In 2007, an 8-year-old boy was killed by one of the lizards on Komodo Island.